Norm Coleman flip flops on oversight on Iraq

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has flip flopped on oversight on Iraq. As Chair of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), Norm failed to investigate anything other than the UN's oil for food program (so he could bash the UN) and FEMA Director Brown (nothing like kicking a fellow elephant when he's down). Now he's touting some legislation providing oversight on Iraq spending into the annual defense bill.

Senators Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Susan Collins (R-ME) last night successfully included an amendment in the 2008 Department of Defense authorization bill that would expand and extend the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s (SIGIR) oversight of U.S. efforts in Iraq. The amendment was introduced following Sen. Coleman’s return from Iraq where he met with representatives from SIGIR to discuss their needs and priorities. SIGIR is a temporary federal agency, created by Congress, that is responsible for oversight of expenditures and revenues associated with reconstruction and rehabilitation in Iraq. It is also charged with auditing, inspecting and investigating the use and potential misuse of funds intended for Iraq reconstruction programs. With a staff of approximately 130 and an annual budget of $35 million, SIGIR has produced more than 200 reports on Iraq reconstruction, including 94 audits, 95 Project Assessments, 14 quarterly reports to Congress and 3 comprehensive “Lessons Learned” reports on all aspects of Iraq reconstruction. It has initiated over 315 investigations, resulting in the arrests of 13 individuals and five convictions of individuals defrauding the U.S. government, and identified more than $57 million in taxpayer dollars saved or recovered.

Specifically, the Coleman-Collins amendment clarifies that any money used for reconstruction in Iraq shall be considered within the purview of SIGIR, removing any ambiguity that would put it under the oversight of another agency inspector general. Additionally, the amendment extends SIGIR’s current authority to audit reconstruction activity in fiscal year 2006 to include reconstruction in fiscal years 2007 and 2008, and extends and provides greater certainty to their authority, by changing the termination date to be 90 days after there is $250 million or less available for Iraq reconstruction.
(Norm's 9/28/07 press release)

This is rich. As part of the Republican majority in Congress from 2003 until 2007 he didn't think oversight into anything that might embarrass Republicans was worth the PSI's time. Even going after Heckuvajob Brownie was just scapegoating. If he did, wouldn't he have investigated all the corruption that was being reported?

This is a case of possibly too little, definitely too late. Here's a grocery shopping length list of what Norm could have investigated:

• Dispersal of the Iraqi Army

• Cronyism in appointments in Provisional Govt
• Torture at Abu Ghraib
• No bid contracts
• Disappearing money
• Corruption among contracting companies in Iraq
• Poorly constructed facilities built by contractors
• Contaminated water drunk and used by troops
• Abuses committed by contracting companies in Iraq
• Death of Pat Tillman
• Lies surrounding abduction and rescue of Jessica Lynch
• Overcharges among contracting companies in Iraq

These are just Iraqi specific investigations that Norm failed to investigate. The PSI can investigate anything they want. Now that Norm is up for reelection, he's suddenly very interested in oversight of Iraq.